Although police forces across the country, along with the Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB), have worked hard in the past few years to reduce the number of uninsured vehicles by 20 per cent, there are still far too many people taking the risk and driving without insurance or without a full current driving licence.

226,803 drivers in the UK (as of 29 July 2013) have points on their licence for driving without insurance, that’s one in every two hundred drivers!

The Motor Insurers’ Bureau state that uninsured and untraced drivers kill 130 people and injure 26,500 every year in the UK.

The annual cost of uninsured driving is estimated to be £400 million.

All drivers inevitably pay a financial penalty as insurance premiums are pushed up by the irresponsible and selfish actions of those who choose to drive without insurance, so the law abiding motorist pays the penalty in more ways than one.

When you buy insurance, it is also essential that you be honest with your insurance company, otherwise in the event of an accident, you may find that you aren’t covered.

Lying about your home address, where you park your vehicle overnight or how many points you have on your licence could invalidate your insurance, even if you are still paying for it!

The Met’s Operation Cubo, which targets uninsured drivers amongst other offences, works by using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipped vehicles.

If you are stopped by the police for driving without insurance, then you will be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice for £300, and you will get six points on your driving licence. Your car may also be seized and held in a car pound, and could even be crushed.

In the short term, you will be deprived of your vehicle, which will affect your day to day family and social life, perhaps even your employment.

In the long term, your insurance premiums may increase considerably, and you may have to declare the fact that you have a conviction for driving without insurance on any job applications you make.

Since the start of 2013 during our monthly Cubo operations, Newham Police have taken 244 uninsured vehicles off the road; this doesn’t include all the other cars our officers seize on a daily basis!

We work hard to keep everyone who drives in, around or through Newham safe, and enforcing driving offences robustly is an important aspect of our commitment to make Newham the best place to live, work and stay.

I would urge anyone who has information regarding uninsured or unlicensed drivers to contact Newham Police on 101. Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.